Star Wars: The Last Jedi [2017] ★★★½

I still remember struggling with mixed feelings when Disney announced that it would be acquiring the rights from George Lucas and kick-start a whole new “Star Wars” trilogy. What would happen to a saga that clearly ended on Endor with the burial of Darth Vader? The minute “The Force Awakens” opened, I heaved a sigh of relief: this was the Star Wars movie I was looking for. Now that I’ve seen what the people behind this new saga are capable of, I can tell you straight away that “The Last Jedi” is one of the best “Star Wars” movies ever made. It’s everything the kid in me goes to the movies for: marvelous adventure that leaves me enthralled, constantly entertained and hungry for more. A round of applause for director Rian Johnson, who, following in J.J Abrams’ footsteps, delivers some of the best action scenes I’ve seen in a Star Wars movie. Without entering spoiler territory, I’ll only say that the “The Last Jedi” builds on Rey’s attempt to find Jedi master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and bring him back to save the galaxy from his nephew, Kylo Ren, who last time around killed his father Han Solo and left his mother Leia (the late, great Carrie Fisher) and the resistance in a dark place. What happens next? My lips are sealed. But I will say this: prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride. From a pulse-pounding opening sequence to a terrific climax, “The Last Jedi” is everything you would want from a “Start Wars” movie, and then some. But much like its predecessor (and the truly amazing spin-off “Rogue One” for that matter), it’s the underlying mythology that Lucas envisioned some 40 years ago that truly propels this new movie. The presence of characters like Luke and Leia Skywalker, as well as John Williams’ majestic score, is a constant reminder of what made us fall in love with the original trilogy in the first place. That, and a sense of wonder, make “The Last Jedi” an instant classic.